IFAB Draws Lines for VAR Use in World Cup

After ruling the use of Video Assistant Referee in Russia World Cup, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) was to set the framework of its usage on Wednesday.

A Reuters report says referees at the World Cup finals will be able to dish out red cards for off-the-ball incidents spotted by VAR technology, football’s rule-making body IFAB has said.

“If there is something away from the action that has been missed and it later comes to the attention of the VAR, then the referee can be informed and he can send the player off, even if it is later in the match,” International Football Association Board technical director David Elleray told The Times. “We do not anticipate this happening very often... this would only be for serious red-card offences.”

The VAR system will be rolled out for the first time at a World Cup at the June 14-July 15 tournament in Russia. It was first approved during the trials of IFAB annual general meeting in 2016 and then used in a friendly match between Italy and France in September 2016.

“We turned a new page in football’s history book,” declared FIFA President Gianni Infantino, following the debut of VAR.

The A-League in Australia became the first to use a VAR system in a professional league game in April 2017, when Melbourne City played Adelaide United.

 Teething Problems  

A tech which meant to ease the judgment of the game has also brought in controversies to the decisions of the center referees since its debut.

In a Bundesliga match between Mainz and Freiburg in April, players were instructed to return to the pitch, having left for half time, after VAR determined that a penalty was due.

In another occasion, at the 2018 A-League grand final between Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Victory, VAR failed to overturn a Melbourne Victory goal due to an offside.

It was later revealed that the VAR software suffered a technical malfunction which prevented the assistant referee to view the replay. Melbourne went on to win the game 1-0.

The teething problems of the tech have also raised criticism over its usage. Real Madrid Zinedine Zidane believes VAR “could cause confusion” and “can make better show offs in the future”.